Cottonseed Oil

Oil

Cottonseed oil comes from cotton seeds and is usually refined for food use. It supplies mostly linoleic, palmitic and oleic fatty acids and is used in frying, dressings and baked foods. Refining reduces natural compounds that can be harmful at sufficient doses.

Also known as

cottonseed oil · cotton oil · cotton seed oil · unhydrogenated cottonseed oil · Gossypium hirsutum seed oil · upland cottonseed oil · oils, glyceridic, cottonseed

Why PRūF tracks it

Refining reduces cottonseed’s natural toxicants, while remaining questions concern residual exposure, processing contaminants and prolonged heating; short human trials show favorable lipid changes without establishing long-term benefits or harm.

Read the research

Food-grade cottonseed oil differs from crude oil and whole cottonseed. Refining reduces gossypol and related natural toxicants, but some unusual fatty acids can remain; their presence alone does not establish harmful exposure. Short randomized trials generally found favorable cholesterol changes compared with specific control oils. In a recent four-week trial, 95 adults were randomized and 91 completed the analysis.

The two higher cottonseed-oil doses lowered LDL cholesterol, while the lowest dose did not show a clear LDL difference. Participants receiving cottonseed oil also gained weight, and the groups received different amounts of food energy. An eight-week trial found no clear differences from olive oil in conventional inflammation or coagulation markers. A separate small trial found changes in selected lipid mediators, without measuring disease outcomes.

These studies received cotton-industry funding and cannot establish long-term cardiovascular benefits or complete safety. Prolonged repeated frying degrades the oil, but laboratory conditions do not reveal how a restaurant prepares a meal. European rules limit refining contaminants. Louisiana’s seed-oil notice begins in January 2028 and is a disclosure requirement.

Research reviewed on September 5, 2026 · 12 sources